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"Historical fiction at its best" - FOCUS ON BOOKS

NEW! The Summer Before The Storm is

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Book 1 of
"The Muskoka Novels"

ISBN 0-9732780-2-1
Cover photo by Melanie Wills

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Muskoka, 1914. It's the Age of Elegance in the summer playground of the affluent and powerful. Amid the pristine, island-dotted lakes, the granite cliffs, and pine-scented forests of the Canadian wilderness, the young and carefree amuse themselves with glittering balls, lavish picnics, and friendly competitions. But this summer promises to be different when the charming, ambitious, and destitute son of a disowned heir joins his wealthy family at their cottage on Wyndwood Island.

Through Jack's introduction into the privileged life of the aristocratic Wyndhams and their social circle - including captains of industry and financial titans - he seeks opportunities and alliances to better himself, including in his schemes, his beautiful, headstrong, and audacious cousin, Victoria.

A cast of engaging characters vividly brings to life the idyllic lifestyle of endless summers on tranquil lakes. But their charmed lives begin to unravel with the onset of the Great War, in which many are destined to become part of the "lost generation".

This richly textured tale takes the reader on an unforgettable journey from romantic moonlight cruises to the horrific sinking of the Lusitania, genteel Muskoka to wartime Britain, regattas on the water to combat in the skies over France, extravagant mansions to deadly trenches - from innocence to nationhood.

The Summer Before The Storm, the first of "The Muskoka Novels", evokes a gracious, bygone era that still resonates in this legendary land of lakes.

NEW! Read the first 2 chapters of The Summer Before The Storm. To view it full screen, click on the 4-arrows-box in the bottom right corner after the book opens.

Meet some of the main characters.

For an immersive "novel" experience, listen to the companion soundtrack CD of authentically rendered vintage music quoted in the novel. "Music for Muskoka" was created specifically to accompany The Summer Before The Storm by ragtime historian and performer, "Perfessor" Bill Edwards, who has consistently placed in the top five of the World Championship of Old-Time Piano Playing, and won the title in 1991.

The CD can be ordered directly from Bill's website.

To see a list of the tunes on the CD plus historical notes about each piece, please visit NovelTunes.com

Book 2 of
"The Muskoka Novels"

ISBN 978-0-9732780-3-3
Cover photo by Melanie Wills
Cover design by dubs&dash

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It happened slowly at first. Thread by thread, the fabric of privilege and complacency enveloping the Wyndham family began to unravel. A carefree summer at their island house, disrupted by the arrival of long lost kin, ended in tragedy, betrayal, and war.

Now, in the compelling sequel to the acclaimed epic, The Summer Before The Storm, Ria and her friends find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

It's late summer, 1916. While some members of the Wyndham family revel in the last resplendent days of the season at their Muskoka cottage, others continue to be drawn inexorably into the "Great War", going from a world of misty sunrises across a tranquil lake to deadly moonlight bombing raids, festering trenches, and visceral terror.

For Ria, too many things have happened to hope that life would ever return to normal, that innocence could be regained. Caught in the vortex of turbulent events and emotions, she abandons the relative safety of the sidelines in Britain for the nightmare of France.

Her fate as an ambulance driver remains entwined with that of her summer friends, all bound by a sense of duty. Living in the shadows of fear and danger awakens the urgency to grasp life, to live more immediately, more passionately amid the enormity of unprecedented death. Together, their lives weave a tale of liberation and loss, evolution and redemption. Those who survive this cataclysmic time are forever changed, like Canada itself.

Impeccably researched, beautifully written, Elusive Dawn will resonate with the reader long after the final page has been turned.

NEW! Read the first chapter of Elusive Dawn. To view it full screen, click on the 4-arrows-box in the bottom right corner after the book opens.

Meet some of the main characters.

It is recommended - although not essential - that Book 1, The Summer Before The Storm, be read first to fully enjoy Elusive Dawn. For information on purchasing The Summer Before The Storm, click here.

Be sure to visit the Bonus Features after reading Elusive Dawn.

For an immersive "novel" experience, listen to the companion soundtrack CD of authentically rendered vintage music quoted in the novel. This CD was created specifically to accompany Elusive Dawn by ragtime historian and performer, "Perfessor" Bill Edwards, who has consistently placed in the top five of the World Championship of Old-Time Piano Playing, and won the title in 1991.

With a few lines from me to start him off, Bill has written and recorded a new song, in the style of the era, for the novel - the signature tune of the hit Broadway musical, "Under The Moon"!

The CD is still in production, so watch this website for more info.

Watch for Book 3 of "The Muskoka Novels" in 2011.

Find out about Gabriele Wills's other novels. Click on the graphics below.

Member of the Historical Novel Society